Flash back about seven years or so – things were going pretty good for my wife and me. Both of our careers were going well, we were both making good money, the nest egg was building and things were pretty rosy on the financial front.
Couldn’t say the same for our buddy Gary, though. He had a couple of kids with his ex-wife that he was supporting, he’d gotten married a year before to a woman who came packaged with a little daughter, and the two of them had a baby of their own on the way. He was making halfway decent money, but I knew things were extremely tight for him and his family. On top of that, his car broke down and there was no way to get the money together for the prohibitively expensive repair job.
However, my wife and I were shopping around for a new car at the time. I was driving an '89 Oldsmobile 98, and while it was a fine car that ran well, it sucked down too much gas for my daily 100-mile round trip commute. We were going to use it as a trade-in, but we figured hell with it, we wouldn’t get that much for it, how about we just give it to Gary?
So, that’s what we did – signed it over to him, free and clear with a handshake and pat on the back. We knew it wasn’t going to change his life, but it’d get rid of a big looming problem. Besides, it always feels good when you can help out a friend.
My, how times have changed since then. We don’t see Gary and his family much anymore, but we still kept in touch (plus my father-in-law is his boss, so everyone keeps in contact that way). His first kids had grown up, so the child support payments were no more. His company was treating him better and better, and he’s making really good money now – life has really turned around for him and his family.
Unfortunately, the same can be said for us (at least from a financial standpoint). My wife lost her job, losing the house, blah blah blah long story short, things have taken a downhill turn. Still, we’ve always landed on our feet, and we’ll do so again. One of the things we’re looking to do is to sell my car. We own my wife’s car free and clear, but we have a monthly payment on mine that we simply don’t need. I telecommute now, so we could work things out as a one-car family. The only problem will be if/when my wife is able to find work again, then I’ll need something for picking up The Littlest Briston from day care. Something cheap, nothing fancy – I mean, I’ll be putting about 10 miles a week on it, so I wouldn’t need much. Which brings me to the meat of this rant…
Every now and then I’d drive by Gary’s place, see that Olds 98 sitting in front, and marvel at how well this car has lasted. Now and then we’d talk and he’d tell me how it still runs like a charm – hey, terrific, glad it’s worked out so well for you.
Cue yesterday, when my father-in-law tells me how Gary’s brother is giving Gary a van (yeah, I know – what is it with people giving this guy vehicles?). Gary knows we’re keeping an eye out for a good, cheap car, so do we want to buy the Oldsmobile?
Exfuckingwellscuse me? Do we want to buy the same car from Gary that we gave to him? No…no we do not. We gave it to him, and he is free to do as he pleases with it. But gaaa! How big a fricking set do you have to have to offer to sell someone something they gave to you? Dickweed…
Huh. That came out a whole like milder than I had expected. Milder than he deserves, too. Whatever…Gary, you’re pitted. And off our Christmas card list. That’ll learn ya.
